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LOOK, it bears often repeating, but you really can’t fault someone (too much) for doing something to help other people, even if what they are doing is silly and nonsense and probably won’t help anyone anywhere ever. At the end of the day, they did put in some time and effort, and their heart is usually in the right place and so let’s just leave it alone. And I genuinely do hope that there’s some lonely, troubled teenager out there who just loves Rutina Wesley and Vampires and Panther People and Lesbian Thai Kickboxers and somehow this video pierces through the darkness like Sookie’s magic hand blasts and makes them feel hopeful and empowered to give life another go. Please let that be the case. But I am not sure if I have ever seen anything more phony and insincere than this Rutina Wesley “it gets better” video, and if I feel that way, you know some tweenz will feel that way, because no one has a sharper Bullshit Detector than your Average American Tweenager.
“I believe in you”?! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT, RUTINA WESLEY?! That is the most asinine, empty, disingenuous garbage statement that I’ve ever heard, just saying “I believe in you” to whoever is watching your stupid YouTube. Ugh. And it doesn’t help that she sounds like she’s reading it off a cue card with a gun to her head. Oh man! It fills me with adolescent rage. Also: nobody is perfect. Saying someone (anyone, everyone) is perfect just the way they are doesn’t even make sense. Teenagers aren’t perfect no matter what, and lonely, disenfranchised, emotionally raw teenagers know for a fact that they’re not perfect, that’s kind of the whole problem. What they need to understand is that no one is perfect and that there is room enough for everyone in this world and that with some patience and effort we can all carve out really nice, comfortable, fulfilling and gratifying little niches for ourselves with like-minded people who love and support us and life can become bearable. But it’s not about being perfect? That’s not even part of it? Which brings us, of course, TO THE SINGING. Enough! I know it gets better but somehow I feel like this is making it worse. (Thanks for the tip, Clayton.)
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I thought it was perfect. I mean, why make it personally meaningful when you can just go with bland platitudes?
The vast majority of these “It Gets Better” PSA’s are just bland platitudes, instead of genuine thoughts and stories about bullying. I was bullied for quite a few years when I went to my old school and I doubt it would’ve made me feel better knowing that Tara from “True Blood” did an anti bullying PSA.
Hear hear. “It Gets Better” evolved into heavy handed self promotion after a while, and it completely lost it’s meaning.
Bring back Joel Burns!
Remember, True Blood gets worse.
Maybe she meant “It get’s better, right now, as soon as the video ends. You’re welcome.”
“Since your character is now somehow a lesbian cage fighter, you’d better do one of those Dan Savage videos.” – her agent
She really should have been in character for this video…we really only want to know it got better for Tara
I think knowing it got better for Tara is the last thing any of us want. Unless you consider the sweet embrace of death “getting better.”
Juan Cusack, where are you buddy? We need you here.
Wow, that beautiful rendition of “Just the Way You Are” is both relevant and well done. Just done right.
My favourite thing is that (I think) that is supposed to be the Billy Joel song, but 1) even just that one line (the TITLE OF THE SONG) is so mangled that it’s unrecognizable (“Rutina, would you like to do another take, we could probably get a better…” “NO IT WAS FINE”) and 2) What Teenager is going to even recognize a Billy Joel song, were you to actually sing it in a manner that a human set of ears and brain could make any sense of it whatsoever.
Huh. Covered more tersely directly above. Well great. Fine, then:
Rutina, ur sexy but ur bitch.
I don’t know. I’m usually of the opinion that a good deed (we’ll just go ahead and lump this in with the good deeds, even though it’s really more of a neutral deed) is good, regardless of the motivation, if it ultimately ends up helping someone. So, even though Tara is the WORST (though less of the worst this season since she seems to be the only one in Bon Temps who understands that the best thing for everyone there would be just to get the fuck out of Bon Temps), I’m not going to hold that against Rutina Wesley. Some little lesbian out there might be like “Whoa being a lesbian in New Orleans is an option? I didn’t even think about that…” and then see this and feel validated. Who knows? I’m just not ready to poop all over it quite yet.
I feel like Larry David when it comes to this stuff. I want to be like “Even if it’s a good deed, if you half-assed it (or even quarter-assed it, in this case) you should be held accountable.” It’s like if I offered to drive you to work but showed up late. I still got you to work, but you got yelled at because of me, and I should be held responsible.
I guess that’s fairly true, but in this case I don’t really think that applies, since posting something on youtube is inherently a pretty half-assed way of taking action. Half-assing a good deed is still better than no-assing anything, or full-assing your couch, or whatever. Even if it’s something she did because her agent said she should, she still did it. Even if she did a kind of bad job, she still did it. She’s not ignoring the issue and she’s not making things worse by being there.
Let’s conclude all PSAs addressing the suicide epidemic with winks, please. It’s almost too appropriate.
Winks and then the slogan for a well-known brand of cosmetics. Revelant and respectful!
I realize this question may be the equivalent of asking is she believable as a panther fairy in love with a vampire, but…
Is she as bad at acting in True Blood as she is in this?
(I don’t watch the show, and am asking for a friend)
More reasons not to watch True Blood then.
Got it.
Every now and then a new IGB video is released and I go through the exact same ‘Really?’ moment. I just kind of figured the manic speed at which Internet Superhighway memes rise and fall meant this particular movement was put to rest a while ago. Not to say the movement isn’t without merit. Of course it has merit! I just thought the Internet’s little sugar-addled brain had moved on to something else by now. Like Ashton Kutcher and sex slave babies or whatever the hell.
A lot of people thought the late-night commercials for the Barnum & Bailey Clown College Home-Study Course were lame, but I was drunk one night and called and it changed my life.
If you want the kids to feel good about the world, just show them this:
I would just like to point out that the fan who created this .gif of HIGH ART THAT IS TOTALLY GETTING AIRBRUSHED ON MY CAR spent more time on their work than Tara did on her video. And my best friend sent it to me for my birthday so SHE probably spent more time looking for the perfect e-card with Alcide, a wolf and some kind of cloud animation than Tara did on this video. And I’m not even going to take the time to learn that actress’ name because whatever.
This may be one of the most well written blog posts I have ever read.
The random singing both scared me and grossed me out.
I usually love these videos, but thanks Rutina – It Gets Better just got worse.